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Overview

Malaria remains a leading cause of ill health, causing an estimated 225 million cases of clinical malaria and 781 000 deaths. More than 85% of malaria cases and 90% of malaria deaths occur in Africa south of Sahara. In Africa, the vast majority of cases and deaths occur in young children.

Recently, WHO has recommended a new intervention against Plasmodium falciparum malaria targeting another high risk group: intermittent preventive treatment for infants, specifically using sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTi-SP). In Sub-Saharan Africa it is the very young children who suffer the brunt of malaria in terms of severity of illness and death.

IPTi-SP is the administration of a full therapeutic course of SP delivered through the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) at intervals corresponding to routine vaccination schedules for the second and third doses of DTP/Penta, and measles vaccination — usually at 8-10 weeks, 12-14 weeks, and ~9 months of age — to infants at risk of malaria.